b&w p5, worth it?

A local secondhand store is selling a pair of p5's for £170. I have no opportunity to audition them unfortunatly so I wondered what the general thoughts about these speakers are.

Has anyone heard them and are they any good? My system at the mo is a project debut with 120ml at cart, a cd5001ose an pm6010ose and some mordaunt short avant 902i's. Do you think that these speakers will be alright with the amp (50wpc)? Will they be better than the shorts? I like the shorts but essentially i want something with a bit more body.

 

Make sure the speakers are working ,in excellent condition and all the packaging is with them . If all of that is ok then if you don't like them you can sell them on and not loose to much money . If any part of what i have said is not the case then your risk grows. I have not heard the B&W but the MS speakers do go well with the Marantz kit . Marantz are the European distributors for MS .

If you think the risk is to high then don't do it or ask if you can bring your amp and cd in and try them ,all ways worth asking .

Regards D Louth

 

imo, no they are not worth 170, keep the m/s's

 

Strange really, have speakers really come so far that a £120 pair can best what were not too long ago fairly expensive speakers? Is the general opinion on the quality of p5's low? internet searching suggests owners like them but they pick up some flack. I guess what I mean is surely even not the most accomplished mid end speakers would beat budgets.

That said, I do find the shorts rather agreeable, just at low volume they feel a bit empty (could be my amp). Does anyone else have any thoughts?

 

Some consumer reviews here http://www.audioreview.com/mfr/b-and-w/floorstanding-speakers/p5/PRD_119143_1594crx.aspx

 

Speakers

I had a lengthy listen to these speakers a few years ago in relation to a friend buying a pre power combo. The speakers in my opinion are superb but dont mix with a bright amp. Hope this helps
Dave

 

Yes they are better than the MS. However they can have a slightly bright top end as mentioned elsewhere. Also they may not be driven that well by your amp, which at best wont get the most out of them and at worse may actually result in them sounding less coherent than the MS.

Having said that, i would seriously consider em if they were local to me at that price

 

I used to have a pair of P5's and they are a laugh, they have absolutely massive bass... seriously well below 30hz type stuff. In fact when i used them in a home cinema they used to cause such a pressure wave from bass that i could hardly take it, negated the need for a subwoofer, thats for sure.

They have a slightly nasal midrange, that i find typical of many B&W kevlar unit designs and this may not bother you if well partnered, the treble can also err on the harder side, but balance them well, and they can perform ok.

Overall though, in spite of a bright treble, they have a slightly thick and dark balance which makes them sound quite heavy. So partner with care. I used to use audiolab monoblocks, and they worked well.

Worth having if they are cheap enough though.

 

its also worth noting, i used them with a 50w amp, then a 60w amp. and the only really came into their own on the end of big monoblocks, where the low end gained grip and extension.